Focus on Software

By the time you read this column, several
distributions will be offering the new 2.4.x
Linux kernel. Much work has gone into it, and a new facet has been
added: a /devfs file system. It will be interesting to see if
distribution makers use this particular facet. I've seen more
debate on this particular feature than on any other—the camps
remain divided.

The arguments don't collide directly. The arguments for devfs
run along these lines: the /dev file system is populated with
hundreds of entries for all possible devices. The number and type
of devices is about to explode with the use of USB and IR. Each
entry requires one inode, which results in the use of 4096 bytes of
disk space for each entry. Because these are node entries (i.e.,
device files), that's basically wasted space; the inode contains
all required information. The arguments against devfs are primarily
implementation-based—this isn't how it should be done, and it's
kludgy. This argument could easily be used with many new
implementations, which is why some kernel developers oppose its
inclusion in the kernel: it needs more time to mature. I won't take
sides, but I will tell you I've been using it since before
mid-April and it's working the way it should, for me. If necessary,
you can still create entries, but they should be created by the
modules as they load. I expect many improvements will be made in
the months ahead. I think this is an exciting idea even if the
implementation needs work.

For those of you who remember a game called Air Traffic
Controller or ATC, this game should bring back memories. What I can
remember of ATC was that it was not easy to keep all those little
planes that came on and off the screen too fast, apart. Well, I
still can't. Guess my decision not to become a real air traffic
controller was a good one—at least based on this game. It requires
libgnomeui, libart_lgpl, libgdk_imlib, libSM, libICE, libgtk,
libgdk, libgmodule, libXext, libX11, libgnome, libgnomesupport,
libesd, libaudiofile, libm, libdb, libglib, libdl, glibc and
libz.

This particular game goes way back. I remember playing this
one on a dumb DEC terminal connected to a mainframe somewhere; I
just can't remember what it was called. Then came a qbasic clone
that used monkeys throwing explosive bananas at each other—same
game. Aim your sights on the mountains or valleys where the other
cannons are, and try to blow them up before they get you. Between
this game and AirTraffic above, I've obviously had too much fun
this month (or too much spare time on my hands—not). It requires
libgtk, libgdk, libgmodule, libglib, libdl, libXext, libX11, libm,
libXpm and glibc.

tt is a time tracker that is
very simple to use. In fact, the easiest way to use it is as part
of a shell script that turns it on and off. You define the projects
you're working on, and tell tt to start timing that project. When
you've finished working, tell tt to stop. The data from tt can be
exported in several formats into a MySQL database, an ASCII file,
etc. While not included, I'm sure a small button with project names
could be put on your X desktop. Then you could just click a project
on and off as you work on it. It requires Perl 5 and the following
Perl modules: POSIX, Time::Local, Sys::Hostname and Fcntl.

Do you have to keep track of employee schedules? Perhaps you
have a dozen or so folks working for you who need schedules.
phpSched might be able to help
you. Once you set it up, employees can even request when they want
to be on. You (or whoever controls the schedule) get final say. You
can see who's scheduled next week, last week or even last month.
Everything is saved in a MySQL database. It requires a web server
with PHP and MySQL, and a frames-capable browser.

Perl Mail Client (pmc) is very basic, but gets the job done.
It uses the mbox format, which most other mail clients don't seem
to want to do. This habit of graphical e-mail clients emptying your
mailbox can be annoying if you're temporarily stuck on a
non-graphical terminal (and non-graphical clients look ugly in an
xterm box on your pretty graphical screen).
pmc gets around the problem. It's
not elegant, but it is functional. It requires Perl 5 and the
following Perl modules: Gtk and Net::SMTP.

For web sites, there are counters and there are counters.
I've seen gaudy counters, broken counters, graphics-only counters
(usually on Lynx-unfriendly, completely graphical pages) and more.
This counter is different. It can be graphical if you want, or
text. It's easily changed in a config file. The text is
unobtrusive. I put a sample on the home page on my system, and I
hardly noticed it. And it works. It does require that the server
parse the page, but I'm not convinced that's a particular problem.
It requires glibc and a web server that parses HTML.

This address book is not fancy, just a place for names and
numbers and some text where you can put an address. It keeps a file
in your home directory with the entries, so those of you who don't
like SQL databases can use it. The data file is readable by only
the application, and no import or export button is available yet.
It requires libgtk, libgdk, libgmodule, libglib, libdl, libXext,
libX11, libstdc++, libm and glibc.

David A. Bandel
(dbandel@pananix.com)
is a Linux/UNIX consultant currently living in the Republic of
Panama. He is co-author of Que Special Edition: Using
Caldera OpenLinux.

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